Thera 1.95: Cakkhupala
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(95):Cakkhupala Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =95. Cakkhupāla= He was reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī, as the son of a landed proprietor named Mahā-Suvaññā, and received the name of Pāla.1 He was also called Pāla major, because his younger brother was called Pāla minor. And the parents bound the sons in domestic bonds. But the Lord(Buddha) came to the Jeta Grove, and there Pāla major heard him, and leaving his brother to manage the property entered the Monk’s order. After five years as novice initiate, he went with sixty bhikkhus(monks) to perfect his studies. And they chose a woodland spot near a border village, where the villagers were lay-followers, and he, living in a leaf-hut, practised the duties of a recluse monk. He was attacked by ophthalmia, and a doctor prescribed for him. But he did not follow the advice, and the disease grew worse. 'Better,' he thought, 'is the allaying of the moral torments (kilesā) than that of eye-disease.' Thus he neglected the latter and worked at his insight, so that eyes and torments perished at the same time. And he became a 'dry-visioned' arahant(enlightened).2 Now the village patrons asked the bhikkhus(monks) what had become of the Thera, and, hearing of his blindness, they 89 ministered to his wants full of guilt. Then those bhikkhus(monks) having also won arahantship(enlightenment), they proposed that they should return to Sāvatthito salute the Master; but the Thera said: 'I am weak and blind, and the journey is not without risk. I should hinder you. Do you go first and salute for me the Lord(Buddha) and the great Theras, and tell Pāla minor of my state that he may send a servant to me.' At length they consented to go, after taking leave of their patrons and providing him with a lodging. And they carried out his words, and Pāla minor sent his nephew Pālika. And the bhikkhus(monks) initiated Pālika into monkhood, because the road was not safe for a solitary layman. He went and announced himself to the Thera, and set out with him. Midway, near a village in the forest, a woodcutter's wife was singing. And the novice was charmed by the sound, and, telling his uncle to wait, went and enjoyed with her. The Thera thought: 'Now I heard a woman singing, and my novice stays long. Is he not evilly employed?' The youth returned, saying: 'Let us go, sir.' And the Thera said: 'What! have you been vile?' The novice at length confessed, and the Thera said: 'One so evil shall hold no staff for me. Get you hence!' 'But the way is perilous, and you are blind. How will you go?' 'Fool! even if I lie down and die, yet will I get on, but not with such as you.' Then he uttered this verse: ---- 95 Andhohaɱ hatanettosmi kantāraddhānapakkanto,|| Sayamāno'pi gacchissaɱ na sahāyena pāpenā' ti.|| || ---- 95 All blind am I and perished are mine eyes And through the jungle's wilderness I move about. Even then I'll go, and were it lying down, But not with child of evil as my mate. ---- Then the other, conscious of his evil action, weeping with outstretched arms, plunged into the forest. But the efficacy of the Thera's virtue made Sakka's(King of gods, also called Indra) throne hot, and the god, in the shape of a man journeying to Sāvatthi, took his staff and brought him that evening to Sāvatthi to the Jeta Grove. And Pāla minor ministered to him all his days. ---- 1 The full name means Eye-guardian, the father's Great-golden. The story is given in somewhat ampler detail and slightly varied diction in the Dhammapada Commentary on the opening verses of that anthology. Pronounced Chakkhu-. 2 See Compendium, p. 75. ---- =1.10-5 95 Commentary on the stanza of Cakkhupālatthera= The stanza starting with Andho’haṃ hatanetto’smi constitutues that of the thera Cakkhupāla. What is the origin? He also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, doing meritorious deeds in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home, at the time of the Blessed One Suddhattha. On having attained the age of intelligence, when the Blessed One had entered parinibbāna, he reverentially offered (pūjesi) to the shrine, after having collected the (asure) flower of flax (umā) when the shrine festival (maha) was being held. On account of that act of merit, he was reborn in the divine world, and having done meritorious deeds, now and then, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths, and was reborn as the son of an estate owner (kuṭumbika) named Mahāsuvanna, in Sāvatthi, when this Buddha arose. They gave him the name Pāla. At the time when he could run about his mother gained another son. His mother and father made his name as Cūḷapāla and they called (vohariṃsu) the other (itaraṃ) as Mahāpāla. Later on, when they had come of age (their parants) bound them down with the tie of household life (gharavandhana). On that occasion the Master resided at the Jetavana (monastery) in Sāvatthi. There, Mahāpāla went to the monastery in the company of the devotees who were on their way to Jetavana, listened to the truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Master, aptly gained pious faith, shifted the responsibility (bhāra) of his estate (kuṭumba) over to his younger (kaniṭṭha) brother even, himself became a monk, gained the full ordination of the Order (upasampadā) lived for five years in the presence of his teachers and preceptors (upajjhā), and when he had spent the lent, he went through the ceremony of candid apology (pavāretvā), collected his mental exercise (kammaṭṭhāna), obrained to the extent of sixty associate bhikkhus(monks), was in search of a residential place congenial to (anukūla) the development of deep meditation (bhāvanā), together with them and living in a leaf-hut (pannassālā) in the forest region, which the devotees dwelling in the village had caused to be built and offered, depending on (nissāya) a certain border-village (paccantagāma), and performed the duties of a monk (samanadhamma). To him, there had arisen an eye-ailment. A physician prepared (sampādetvā) and offered it to him. He did not comform (paṭipajji) to the prescription (vidhāna) as told (vutta) by the physician (vejja). On that account his disease became worse (vaḍḍhi). He became increasingly indifferent (ajjhupekkhitvā) ot his eye-illness saying to himself: “To me, better is (varaṃ) but the mastery (vūpasamana) of the disease of depravity than the allayment of the ailment of my eyes and came to be intent on (yuttapayutto) but the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā). When he was indulging in (ussukkāpenta) in the development of deep meditation (bhāvanā), his eyes as well as his depravity vecame destroyed (bhijjiṃsu) simultaneously (apubbaṃ acarimaṃ). He became an Arahant of ‘dry-visioned’ class (sukkhavipassaka). Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna.-- “When the world-revered, the worthy recipient of sacred sacrifice, the Blessed One Suddhattha entered nibbāna, there was held a great shrine-festival. When the festival was being celebrated, for the great sage Siddhattha, I collected the (azure) flowers of flax (umā) and specially offered (abhiropayiṃ) them to the shrine. Ninetyfour aeons (kappa) ago, from now, it was that I specially offered the flowers; I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of the reverential offering made to the shrine. In the ninth aeon (kappa) previous to this (ito), there arose eithtyfive sovereigns, very strong world-kings, with the name of Somadeva. My depravity had been burnt; … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. Later on, when the Thera was left behind (chīna) in the monastery owing to his eye-ailment, the devotees, on having seen the bhikkhus(monks) who had reached the village for alms-food, asked thus:– “Why has the Thera not come?” On having heard that matter, they became overwhelmed with anxiety, brought alms-food to the Thera saying: “Venerable Sir! Do not have any anxiety (cintayittha); now, we even will bring alms-food and attend upon you;” and did likewise. The monks abided by the advice of the Thera, attained Arahantship but before long, spent their lent, went through the ceremony of candid confession and apology (pavāretvā) and said thus: “Venerable sir! We shall go to Sāvatthi to pay our homage to the Master.” The Thera replied thus:–”I am weak without my eye-sight; the journey also is troublesome (saupaddavo); there can be danger to you in your going along with me. You should go first; having gone so, pay your homage to the Master as well as to the senior elders (mahāthera) on my behalf (mama vandanāya); having spoken to Cūḷapāla about what had happened (pavatti) to me, you should send to me any male man.” They made again also their request and not gaining his going, replied to the Thera “Very well,” folded up their beds and seats (senāsanaṃ saṃsāmetvā), bid farewell (āpucchitvā) to their devotees, eventually reached Jetavana, paid their homage to the Master and Mahātheras on the Thera’s behalf, wandered about for alms on the next day (dutiyadivase), in Sāvatthi, spoke to Cūḷapāla as to what had happened to the Thera (taṃ pavattiṃ) and on being told by him thus:– “Venerable Sir! This one is my nephew named Pālita; I shall send this young man,” they movitiated (pabbājetvā) him and sent him, saying:– “The journey is risky (saparissayo); It is not possible for a layman gahaṭṭha) to go alone; therefore he should be made to join the Order of monks.” Eventually he reached the presence of the Thera, informed about himself to the Thera and as he came away bringing the Thera, he heard on his way (antarāmagge) in the environs (samanta) of a certain village, within the forset region, the sound of a certain female fetcher of firewood singing, fell in love (paṭibaddhacitto) with her, released the extremity of the (guiding) staff, left words with the Thera (vatvā) thus: “Venerable sir! Please wait (tiṭṭhatha) a monent (muhutta) until I come back,” went to her presence, and there he reached his moral failure (sīlavipatti). The Thera refleted (cintesi) thus:– “But just now, the singing sound of a woman had been heard; the novice had gone long (cirāyati); surely (nūna) he must have met (patto) failure of good morals (sīlavipattai).” That novice also came back and said: “Venerable Sir! Let us go.” The Thera asked:– “Why have you become a sinful one (pāpo)?” The novice became mute (tunhī) and did not speak (a word) though asked again also. The Thera told him: “There is no business (kiccaṃ) of holding my (guiding) staff by such a sinner as you; you should go (away).” Again, when told by that novice thus: “The journey is much risky (bahuparissayo), moreover, you are blind; how will you go?;” the Thera replied thus:– “O fool! Even here, when I lie myself down and die and also when I roll about round and round, now and then, there is, namely, no going with such a one as you.” He spoke a stanza in order to point that matter out.-- 95. ”I am blind with my eyes spoilt, negotiating (pakkhando) the difficult (kantāra) lengthy journey (addhāna). I would rather go lying down; there is no company (sahāya) for me with a sinner.” There, andho means deprived (vikala) of eye-sight (cakkhu). Hatanette means ruined eye sight (vinaṭṭha cakkhuka): by that he defined (viseseti) the condition of his blindness according as has been said thus:– “I am blind by way of failure (vipatti) of means (payoga) owing to the state of my eyes (metta) being spoilt (upahata); but not by being congenitally (or born) blind (jaccandha). In other words, “Andho (blind);” thus, this is the bringing into light (dīpanaṃ) of the deficiency of the fleshy eye (maṃsacakkhu), similar to mention being made in such statements as: “Andhe jinne mātāpitaro poseti (he looks after his blind old mother and father),” and so on; as in the case of “Sabbe pi’me paribbājakā andhā acakkhukā (all these wandering philosophers also are blind and eyeless),” “Andho eka cakkhu dvicakkhu (blind (of both eyes), blind of one eye, and two eye person),” and so on, it is not bringing into light (dīpanaṃ) of the deficiency of the eye of wisdom (paññā); thus, in order to show, it has been said:– “Hatanetto’smi;” by that he points out the state of blindness but actually (mukhya) Kantāraddhāna pakkhando means: having entered upon a long jourmey in the wilderness (vivana) difficult to pass (kantāra); not going along (paṭipanno) the journey of rounds of repeated rebirths (saṃsāra), the forest (gahana) of such difficult passing as that of rebirths (jāti) and so on; thus is the signigicance (adhippāya). Indeed, this Thera stood having well-gone beyond such difficult journey as that; Sayamāno pi means lying down also; I would go turning about all round (parivattento), going round and round repeatedly (saṃsaranto) on the ground by me breast and pair of knees when my feet do not carry me. Na sahāyena pāpena means: - I shall not go together with a sinful individual like you to be my companion; thus, is the interpretation. Having heard that remark, the other became remorseful, said to himself: “Certainly a savage (sāhasika) sin, (kamma) had been done seriously (bhāriyaṃ) lifted up his arms, and kept crying (kandanta) while he was leaping ahead (pakkhando) out of the dense forest (vanasanda). Thereupon, owing to the power of the thera’s morality (sīla), the lilght yellow velvet-like stone seat (of sakka) showed signs of heat. On that account, (the divine-sovereign) Sakka came to know that matter (kārana), went to the presence of the Thera, to whom he made himself known as if he was a man on his way to Sāvatthi, caught hold of the extremity of the staff, shortened the journey, led the Thera to reach Sāvatthi on the evening of that self-same day, settled the Thera to be seated on a plank in the leaf-hut built by Cūḷapālita there, at Jetavana, made the latter know the fact that he had come in the guise of the Thera’s companion, and took his departure. Cūḷpālita also attended himself upon the Thera reveredly as long as he lived. The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Cakkhupāla is complete. ----